Youngblood 1
"Youngblood" is the premiere issue of the first ''Youngblood'' ongoing comic book series. It was published by Image Comics and shipped with an April, 1992 cover-date and a cover price of $2.50 per copy. This issue includes two stories, each one focusing on a different detachment of the Youngblood team. The first story involves the domestic Youngblood team, while the second story features the international team. Both stories were written and illustrated by series creator Rob Liefeld. Coloring was provided by Brian Murray and Digital Chameleon. The issue was edited by Chris Ulm. "Home Team" The various members of Youngblood are enjoying a day off when all of a sudden, their emergency beepers signal them to battle. Arriving at HQ, they discover that Strongarm and Gage of the Four are sabotaging a Youngblood transport in an effort to free their colleagues Starbright and Deadlock. Youngblood hits the ground running and Diehard seems to take great satisfaction in pounding on Strongarm. Appearances * Youngblood Home Team :* Shaft, Jeff Terrell :* Bedrock, Thomas John McCall :* Chapel, Bruce Stinson :* Diehard :* Photon :* Vogue, Nikola Voganova * Unnamed Youngblood technician * The Four :* Deadlock :* Gage :* Starbright :* Strongarm * Battlestone, John Helix Stone * Bedrocks' mother * Chapel's lover * Shaft's girlfriend Shelly * Michael Gibson * Youngblood * The Four * Humans * Cyborgs * Mutated humans * Robots * Maryland :* Baltimore * Virginia :* Arlington * Washington * Washington, D.C. :* Youngblood headquarters * Chapel's gun * Shaft's bow * Chapel's hyper-cycle * Flight * Superhuman durability * Superhuman strength "Away Team" The President of the United States decides to mobilize the special Youngblood away-team unit to quell an uprising of terrorist leader Hassan Kussein's troops. The team drops down and plows through many of the soldiers. Combat and Cougar take great delight in the frenzy of battle. But it is Psi-Fire who manages to find his way into Kussein’s lair. He mentions that he could have used his psionic powers to kill him from the U.S., but he preferred to do this up close and personal. He uses his powers to cause Kussein’s head to explode. The Youngblood PR staff passes the terrorist leader's death off as a suicide. Appearances * Youngblood Away Team :* Sentinel, Marcus Langston :* Brahma, Jeff Kessler :* Combat, Kh'ambt :* Cougar, Daniel Tsuchida :* Psi-Fire, David Waller :* Riptide, Leanna Creel * * Hassan Kussein * Tess Harlow * Youngblood * The Holy Unification * Humans * Katellans * Kuwait * Washington, D.C. :* White House * Combat's gun * Force field * Sentinel's exo-skeleton * Youngblood helicopter drop-ship * Youngblood hyper-sonic transport * Hydrokinesis * Superhuman durability * Superhuman strength Notes & Trivia * This issue is reprinted in the Youngblood hardcover collection and ''Image Firsts: Youngblood'' #1. * This issue shipped with a flip-cover featuring an alternate illustration. The main cover features the Youngblood Home Team while the flip-cover features the Youngblood Away Team. * This issue went to second printing featuring both cover illustrations. The second printing is easily distinguishible from the first printing by the gold frame around the cover art. * This issue included a Combat and Cougar trading card attached to the inner seam of the centerfold. * This is the first comic book issue published by Image Comics. As such, it is also the first official appearance of the Image Univese. * First official appearance of Youngblood and it's supporting cast. The team made an earlier non-canon preview appearance as a backup feature in Megaton: Explosion. * At the time of it's release, Youngblood #1 was the highest-selling single issue of an independent comic book title ever produced. * Hank Kanalz wrote dialogue for this issue, but the main plot elements were written by Rob Liefeld. * First and only appearance of Hassan Kussein; dies in this issue. * The Middle Eastern terrorist, Hassan Kussein, is intended as an analog of real-world historical figure, Saddam Hussein, who was the president of Iraq from 1979 to 2003. * Apparently, Diehard and Strongarm share a history together. This fight represents a rematch between the two. * Deadlock of the Four will soon go on to become a member of Bloodstrike. His appearance and mannerisms are very similar to that of the Marvel Comics character, Wolverine. * The name of Combat's home planet is Katella. This name is derived from Katella Avenue in Anaheim, California, which is where Image Comics headquarters is located. * A newspaper clipping shows a cameo appearance of Youngblood's former leader Battlestone. Battlestone will make his first offcial appearance in ''Brigade'' #1. The story of why he is no longer in Youngblood is chronicled in ''Yougblood'' #0. * Tess Harlow is an SNN News correspondent. SNN is intended as a pastiche of CNN. * Information supplied in ''Youngblood'' #0 indicates that the setting of the second story is Kuwait. Recommended Reading See also External Links * * * Youngblood #1 at the Image Database * Youngblood #1 at Comicbookdb.com ---- Category:Youngblood Vol 1 Category:1992/Comic issues Category:April, 1992/Comic issues Category:Chris Ulm/Editor-in-Chief Category:Rob Liefeld/Writer Category:Hank Kanalz/Writer Category:Rob Liefeld/Penciler Category:Rob Liefeld/Inker Category:Rob Liefeld/Cover artist Category:Rob Liefeld/Cover inker Category:Brian Murray/Colorist Category:Digital Chameleon/Colorist Category:Diane Valentino/Letterer Category:Hank Kanalz/Letterer Category:Chris Ulm/Editor Category:Comic issues with crew categories